Playing Doctor
by AdmHawthorne
Summary: Maura has been out for days, and Jane finally finds out why. What happens when Jane comes to take care of Maura? Fun things, of course! Rizzles.
1. Chapter 1

**My first full out story for season two. Unlike my one shots, this one isn't focused around the first episode, but there will probably be allusions to it in here. I see a lot of stories where Maura takes care of Jane. I was ready for Jane to take care of Maura, and this is my take on that. I'm going to post this one as I write it, so reviews would be GREATLY appreciated.  
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**The characters aren't mine. They belong to Tess, TNT, and other important people.**

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><p>"Maura!" Jane pounded on the doctor's front door. "Maura, open the door!" Her voice rang out through the quiet neighborhood. At 11:30 at night, most people were peacefully shut away for the evening, and the sound of someone yelling and pounding on a door was an abrupt and unwelcome intrusion on a neighborhood that valued its harmony and solitude.<p>

The doorknob rattling made Jane stop pounding. Slowly, the front door swung open, and a very disheveled and pale Maura Isles appeared. The annoyance on her face was evident even through her red, puffy eyes and flushed cheeks. "Jane," she hissed, "what do you think you're doing? It's 11:30 at night. You'll wake up the entire neighborhood."

"Let me in," came the hoarse reply as Jane's hand shot out to catch hold of the door.

"Fine." Maura stepped back, wrapping a hand around the front of her robe while the other found its way into a side pocket. "Why are you here, Jane?"

"You," Jane shot back as she closed and locked the front door, "don't come to work for _four_ days, don't answer the phone, and don't tell me what's going on, and then you ask me _why_ I'm here? I'm here because you had _surgery_ and didn't bother to tell me." She glanced down Maura's small frame. "Should you even be out of bed?"

"First of all," the doctor hobbled over to the sofa and gingerly took a seat, "it was emergency surgery. I wasn't prepared and told the only person I had time to tell."

"Korsak. I mean, really? _Korsak_?" Jane walked over to the sofa and dropped her overnight bag by the side as she stood looking down at her best friend.

"You were in the field, and he was who was available. I asked him to tell you. I assume he did not." Maura gently leaned back against the sofa cushions, closing her eyes and breathing lightly.

"He's been out for three days. He told me this afternoon when I saw him. But, really, you couldn't call or something?"

"I've been unconscious most of the past four days, Jane. The pain medication is fairly strong. In fact, it has just worn off, which is the only reason I heard you pounding on my door." She cracked an eye to give Jane her best dirty look. "You're lucky my neighbors didn't call the police for the disturbance you made."

"I _am_ the police," Jane shot back, crossing her arms. "Maura," her voice grew gentler, "what happened?"

"My appendix ruptured unexpectedly. I thought it was indigestion, but, apparently, I was wrong." She sighed, winced, and grabbed at her side.

"You must feel bad. You never admit when you're wrong." Jane dropped down to kneel in front of the doctor. "I took tomorrow and Monday off so I could be here to help you. I figured if you've missed that much work you probably were feeling pretty crappy." She reached out to take Maura's hand. "What can I do to help?"

"Thank you, Jane. That's very thoughtful of you." Maura opened her eyes again. "I honestly don't know. My body is sore. I'm fighting an infection. I should eat something so I can take my medication, and it hurts to walk." She sighed. "I sound whiney. I'm sorry."

"Hey, you're allowed." With her usual grace, Jane stood. "When was the last time you took a bath?"

"Do I smell?" The horrified look on Maura's face was enough to make Jane chuckle.

"No. You never smell. Well, you never smell _bad_ anyway. But, I figure a bath would help with your aches. Tell you what, why don't you stay here and lay on couch, and I'll run you a bath. While you're soaking, I'll make you something light to eat so you can take your meds, and, then, we'll get you to bed. How does that sound?"

Maura gave a very weak smile. "Wonderful."

"Good. Now, don't go anywhere. I'll be back soon."

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. Please feed me my coffee and gummy bears. ;-) (PS, I'm on twitter. Look me up! adm_hawthorne)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Jane's brow furrowed as she stepped into the master bathroom. She had only been in it a couple of times, and she had tried to not remain there very long. The size of the room was slightly intimating. A large garden tube, complete with jets, sat in the center of the room just under a bay window that looked out over the well groomed backyard, the separate glass encased shower with its multiple heads fitted quietly into a corner, and the toilet was behind a door in the opposite corner.

Two beautifully crafted faucets practically sparkled over two marble sinks inset into a matching marble counter top. The vanity area was neatly arranged with various bottles that Jane was certain she couldn't begin to guess the uses for.

Everything ran in tones of ivory, gold, and green. The bathroom had a European, slightly Mediterranean feel to it. It gave Jane the feeling of being out of her league. Seeing the bathroom reminded Jane of all the differences between her and Maura, and it made her uncomfortable. But, tonight wasn't about what made her feel comfortable. Tonight was about making her best friend feel better.

With a sigh of resignation, she began to run the water as she pulled out towels, bath salts, and other things to make the bathing processes soothing and pleasant.

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><p>"Maura, are you ready?" Jane ran a hand gently down the doctor's arm to rouse her friend.<p>

"Bath time?" The sleepy response made the detective smile. Maura was cute when she was needy.

"Yeah, think you can walk there on your own?" At Maura's questioning look, Jane added, "You said it hurts to walk."

"I don't need you to carry me, if that's what you're implying." Maura stood on shaky legs. "I can make it on my own. I'm not an invalid, Jane." Her argument was less than convincing as she lost her balance and swayed against her friend.

"Right, well, that answers that." With a quickness and fluidity Maura did not often see in her friend, Jane swung down and literally swept the smaller woman off of her feet and into her arms. "Ma used to carry me around when I was sick," she said as she adjusted to make certain she had a good hold on Maura. "She did it until I was too big. Don't tell her I said this, but I miss someone being able to carry me around when I don't feel good."

"Jane, really… put me down," Maura gave a weak protest even as she wrapped her arms around her friend's neck.

"Nope. I'm here to take care of you, and part of that is making sure you don't hurt yourself more before you get better. I'm pretty sure falling down and breaking something counts as hurting yourself more." Jane started moving toward the master bedroom. "Now deal."

"Fine," came the mumbled response.

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><p>"Fruit salad?" Maura sat down at her breakfast table, adjusting her fresh pajamas as she found a comfortable way to sit up.<p>

"Yeah, I figured it'd be better than you trying to eat something bready so late at night, you know?" Jane sat a small bowl of mixed fruits and a glass of water down in front of the doctor. "You want something else?"

"No thank you." Maura picked up her fork and poked at the fruit. "What's on the fruit?"

"Honey and flax seeds," Jane answered off handedly as she read the instructions on Maura's medication and started opening bottles.

"Flax seed?" Giving the dark haired woman and uncertain look, Maura speared a piece of strawberry.

"Yes, flax seed. I remember what you said about fiber and omega 3 and something, and I saw you had some stashed in your cabinet, so I figured it'd be good to add in." Jane placed the pills next to Maura's bowl. "What? I pay attention."

"So I see," Maura said around bites of the fruit salad. "Thank you for making this."

"Sure." Jane sat down across from the doctor. "I know this is going to sound weird, but where do you want me to sleep? Ma used to sleep _with_ me when I was sick in case I needed something, but, you know, you might want your space. I can make sure your cell phone is next to your bed, and you can call me…"

"No. I'm okay with you staying with me. Actually, it would really be helpful. The infection has made me occasionally light headed, and it's comforting to know someone is close by in case I need sudden help." Maura finished her fruit. "Plus, I seem to get cold easily right now, and you're a furnace."

"Hyperbole? Yeah… you feel like crap."

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><p><strong>Still love and appreciate your reviews. Thank you for giving them.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you cold?" Jane shifted in the big, fluffy king sized bed so she could see her bed mate.

"Slightly," Maura whined as she snuggled more under the covers.

"What can I do? Do you need more blankets? Something warm to drink? Turn off the A/C?" Reaching a hand out, Jane dug under the covers to find Maura's arm. "You're like an ice cube, Maura."

Choosing to ignore the ice cube comment, Maura reached out to pull Jane's hand into hers. "You're warm," she whined again.

"Well, yeah, I'm not the one that's sick." Jane scooted closer. "Okay, so you need a cuddle buddy. That's what I'm getting here, isn't it?"

"A what?" Maura rolled over to look at her friend. The blank expression was made worse by the vacantness in the doctor's eyes from the pain medication.

"A _cuddle buddy_. Someone you can lay on and leech warmth from." Jane moved the covers so she could slide up next to her friend. "Since you say I'm a furnace anyway, I can be your cuddle buddy, but don't tell anyone, okay? You know how weird people get." She started to lay an arm across the doctor's waist but stopped, remembering the surgery. "How about I lay on my back, and you just do whatever you need to do to get comfortable and warm?"

"'Kay," Maura murmured as she rolled onto her side and wrapped around the lanky form of her friend. With one arm under her head, the other snaked around Jane's waist while her legs wrapped around Jane's. "Warm," she mewed as the pain medication took a stronger hold, pulling her further into unconsciousness.

"No, _Jane_," came the quiet yet amused response from the detective as she gently petted the unusually unruly hair of her friend.

A feeble grunt was all the response she received.

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><p>The next few days passed in much the same way. Jane made Maura's meals, made sure she took her medication at the right time, and helped her move about the house. By the time Monday rolled around, Maura was clearly feeling better.<p>

"I've scheduled a doctor's appointment tomorrow," Maura said over her bowl of oatmeal.

"Yeah? What time?" Jane asked from behind the sports section.

"Nine in the morning. Do you think you could take me? I realize you only took today off, but I'm not sure I'm up to driving. I could call a cab…"

"Nah, I can do it," Jane folded the newspaper up and dropped in on the table. "I called in this morning and asked for tomorrow and Wednesday off, too."

"Jane, you didn't have to do that. I think I'll be fine now," despite the protest, Maura smiled, a blush lightly coloring her cheeks.

"You're not 100%, and I don't like leaving you when I know you feel so bad. A couple more days off won't hurt me." The detective shrugged as she sipped her coffee.

"Thank you."

"No need. I told you I was here to take care of you, Maura. I meant it. Now, finish your oatmeal so you can take your meds and we can go back to bed. I'm still sleepy."

"Yes, Jane."

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><p>"Rizzoli." Jane's sleep thickened voice barked out her last name as she resettled on her back to allow the currently grumbling Maura to reclaim her cuddle spot. The detective's phone ringing had been an unwelcome intrusion on their Sunday afternoon nap.<p>

"_Jane, where are you?"_ Angela's shrill tone echoed in the quiet of the bedroom.

"Maura's." The woman in question shifted, a light snore escaping her lips.

"_Maura's? How can you be at Maura's and me not know that?"_ Her mother sounded distraught.

"I don't know. You've been in her guest house this whole time, right? How could you _not_ have told me she had surgery?" Jane sounded angry.

"_She had surgery? I didn't know! Is she okay? Do I need come over there?"_ It was clear Angela was gearing up to go into Momma Rizzoli overdrive.

"No, Ma, she's fine, just recovering. I've been here since Thursday night, and I'm staying until at least Wednesday. I took some time off." Jane's body tensed as she held her breath to see if that would be enough to keep her mother from rushing over.

"_**You**__ took time off to take care of Maura?"_ Angela went from protective to surprised so quickly that Jane was slightly confused on the gearshift change.

"Yeah, she needed someone to take care of her," came the response, Jane clearly puzzled by her mother's reaction.

"_Jane, that's… that's very sweet of you. Do you girls need anything?"_

"Nope, I got this." The puzzled went to relief as it became clear Angela was not coming over. "What did you need, Ma?"

"_I was going to see if you wanted to have dinner with me, but you're busy, so I'm just going to let you go. If you two need anything, I'm right next door."_

"You're right next door, and you didn't know she was sick."

"_Jane, you know how she is. She's __**such**__ a private girl. She doesn't share much, and I don't like to pry."_

"Really?"

"_Really. I'm grateful for everything she's done for us, and I'm not going to pry. If she wants me to know, she'll tell me. I'm going to go. Love you girls."_

"Love you too, Ma. Bye."

"Angela stay?" Maura's quiet voice startled Jane, who fumbled her phone before catching it with her free hand and tossing it back on the nightstand.

"Yeah, she's not coming over... for now."

"Good." Maura inhaled deeply, let out a contented sounding hum, and went back to quietly snoring.

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><p>"Maura Isles?" The nurse called out, clipboard in hand and smile firmly plastered on her face.<p>

"Look, Maura, Barbie got her RN's license," Jane leaned over and whispered as Maura stood up to go.

"Jane, be good," the doctor chuckled as she started to head to where the nurse was waiting. But, after taking a few steps, she stopped and turned around. "Aren't you coming?"

"I… yeah, sure. I guess I can if you want me to." The detective stood up awkwardly, aware of all the eyes suddenly on them both. "You sure?"

"Yes, please. I'd rather not wait in there alone." Maura reached out to take Jane's hand and lead them into the back of the doctor's office, completely unaware of the judging eyes Jane so easily saw.

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><p>"Maura, how do you feel?" A tall, slender man with greying temples and a pleasant face walked into the small examination room. His glasses lined eyes seemed to hesitate in their well-practiced bedside manner at the sight of Jane sitting in a chair by the exam bed with Maura's hand resting in her own.<p>

"Much better, thank you," Maura smiled brightly at the man. "Jane, this is my general physician, Doctor Abraham Lewis. Dr. Lewis, this is my best friend, Detective Jane Rizzoli."

"Hi," Jane nodded a hello.

"Detective," Dr. Lewis nodded back.

"Jane's been helping care for me while I've been ill," Maura offered by way of explanation for Jane's presence.

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm very glad you've had someone to help. I know that infections such as these can be very trying. But, it looks like the worst may be over. Your fever is low grade, which, as you know, is a very good sign. I'm going to have some blood work done to double check, but is there anything you can think of that I should know?"

Before Maura could respond, Jane answered for her. "She's having dizzy spells still. It happens about once every 2 or 3 hours, but it only seems to happen when she stands up or sits up quickly. Her fever is coming and going. I notice that it seems to hit her at night, though. I don't know if that matters or not. Her appetite isn't back, either. She's not eating much. I mean, she doesn't eat much anyway, but we're talking bird rations here. Her sleeping is really fitful, too. She's tossing and turning _a lot_, and she's waking up more than she usually does. Also, she's been talking in her sleep, which is weird. Last night, she told me my princess was in another castle."

"I see," Dr. Lewis was carefully writing down what Jane was saying. "Anything else?" He addressed the question directly to Jane.

"Nope, not that I can think of." Jane gave a shrug and picked up a tongue depressor from a nearby container. "This isn't as much fun when there's no ice cream on one end of it."

"After we leave, Jane," Maura gave a light scolding tone to her response before turning to look at her doctor. "Everything she says is true. I'm also still feeling pain in the area of the surgery, which, as I understand it, will be true for some time to come."

"I would say at least another three weeks. Everything else seems to be normal, except for the princess. I never could find mine." He chuckled. "I'm going to send Helen in to draw your blood. When she's done, you can go. We'll call you with the results."

"Thank you, Abe."

"Of course, Maura. You two ladies enjoy your ice cream."

As the door closed, Maura turned to her friend, who was still rolling the tongue depressor around in her hands. "Jane, what does that mean? 'Your princess is in another castle.'?"

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><p><strong>Thanks for all the quick reviews. You guys rock! This is my last update for today. It's probably for the best. Jane and Maura take a long time when they're eating things that require lots of lick. (I'm talking about ice cream. What were <em>you ladies<em> thinking?)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Jump! Jane, you have to jump. Oh no!" Maura let out a little yelp and covered her face with the throw blanket she normally kept on the back of her sofa as the little figure on the screen, once again, died. "Oh, Jane, those plants are vicious."

"You know, for a plumber, Mario sucks at dealing with clogged pipes." Jane tossed the Nintendo controller onto the coffee table and leaned back on the sofa to take a break. "I mean, Pop would have gotten all that crap out of those pipes in no time, and _he_ wouldn't have died just because some random _plant_ decided it wanted a snack." She shifted, pulling the bottom part of the throw around Maura's legs and tucking it in. "Rizzoli's are too awesome to let some little plant take us down. _Mario_, on the other hand, sucks."

"I'm not certain it's _Mario_ that is having hand-eye coordination issues." The doctor gave her friend a sly look, a smirk playing on her face.

"Hey! You think this is easy?" Jane gave her best scowl. "This game is over 15 years old. I had to dig around in storage for an hour just to find it. I used to be a lot better, but I haven't played it in forever. Give me a little credit here. Besides, it doesn't matter if I make it to the end of world or not."

"Oh? Why not?" Maura tiled her head to the side, genuinely curious.

"Because Princess Toadstool, the chick I'm supposed to be saving from the big bad guy, isn't even _in_ that castle. Instead, it's some little toadstool guy who says, 'I'm sorry, Mario. Your princess is in another castle.' Then, I have to do it all over again in a different world."

With a nod of understanding, Maura smiled brightly. "So that's where the phrase comes from?"

"Yeah, and my princess is _always_ in another castle because I can _never_ finish this game. I always get stuck at this level." Jane sighed heavily. "Oh well. I think I'm going to get dinner started. What do you want to eat… _princess_." Smirk firmly in place, Jane hopped up before Maura could retaliate.

"I do _not_ need rescuing, Jane," the small woman pouted as she curled further under the throw blanket. "And I'm in my castle." At the tall woman's questioning look, the doctor added, "Well, if a person's home is their castle, and I am in my home, then I am in my castle."

"So, does that make you a queen instead of princess?" Jane called out as she headed to the kitchen. "Don't answer that. They already call you the Queen of the Dead, and I don't like that. I'm sticking with princess."

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><p>"What's this?" Jane dropped the grocery bags on the table and picked up the small package sitting there with her name so carefully written on the tag.<p>

"I had something delivered for you today while you were out grocery shopping. Since you wouldn't let me go and I wanted to do something to say 'thank you' for taking care of me all this time, I thought you wouldn't mind if I used my free time to do a little shopping." Maura smiled gently as she began putting the groceries up, taking note to make certain Jane had gotten exactly what she had been told to pick up.

"You managed to buy something and have it delivered to your house in the two hours I was gone? Really? How…?" Jane turned the package over in her hands.

"I have a personal concierge. He's very efficient. Now, stop staring at it and open it! I can't wait to see what you think." There was a slightly mischievous look in Maura's eyes as she poked Jane in the ribs.

"Ah! Fine, just stop poking me." With one final skeptical glance in her friend's direction, she opened the prettily wrapped package. "Maura, _really?_" With a roll of her eyes, Jane pulled out a pair of blue overalls and red shirt. "Oh, you're funny." She held the overalls up and against her body.

"I thought so. I have the hat, gloves, and shoes in the living room." The mischievous look had turned into a full-on smile.

"Okay, Princess, if you're dressing me up as the plumber, then where's your dress? Huh?" Jane chuckled as she tossed the coveralls on the table with the red shirt and started putting groceries away.

"Oh, I'd never wear that dress. It's _way_ out of fashion. It's so 1985."

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><p>"Are you going home tonight?" Maura walked into the living room dressed in a simple silk robe, hair pulled into a messy ponytail.<p>

"I hadn't planned on it, why?" Jane bit down on the tip of her tongue, leaning to the side as she concentrated on keeping Mario alive.

"It's Wednesday, which means we both go back to work tomorrow. I thought you might want to go home tonight." Eyes on the television screen, Maura settled next to Jane on the sofa. "Jump, Jane. You need to jump earlier than you think you need to jump. That's why you keep dying."

"Hey, who's playing this game, Princess?" At that moment, Mario dropped a size. "Damn it!"

"Jane…"

"Okay, fine. I'll jump sooner." The detective stopped talking as she tried the suggestion from the doctor. As predicted, Mario survived. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No, I don't want you to go." There was a hesitation in Maura's words. "Do you… want to sleep in the guest room tonight? I'm feeling much better. You don't have to stay in the master bedroom if you'd prefer not to."

"What I want is to beat this freaking level!" With a grunt of frustration, Jane threw the controller down and turned off the system. "God, I was _this_ close." She turned around to face the doctor, who was still seated on the sofa. "_This_ close to _finally_ getting to my princess! What the crap? Man," she gave a little stomp, "now I remember why I stopped playing this freaking game. I _never_ get my princess." With a shake of her head, she began picking up the mess of empty soda cans and candy wrappers scattered about the coffee table. "Stupid game," she muttered. "Whatever… _anyway_, you were saying you wanted me to sleep in the guest room tonight or something?"

"No, I was asking if you'd prefer to." Maura started to help with clean up but was quickly shooed off by Jane. "I _can_ help clean up, Jane. I really am feeling much better."

"Good, let's keep it that way." Hands full, Jane carefully made her way to the kitchen to finish the cleaning process. "I like your bed better. You've been holding out on me, Princess. That guest bed of yours isn't _half_ as squishy. How much did you pay for… never mind. I don't want to know." She rinsed out the cans for the recycling bin. "I'll sleep wherever you want me, but you're still getting pretty cold at night, aren't you?"

"Yes," Maura narrowed her eyes, trying to follow Jane's thought process and what the underlying meaning of her words and actions were. "Are you offering to continue to be my furnace?"

Jane shrugged. "Sure, if you need me." She dried her hands and tossed the towel on the counter. At Maura's look, she sighed heavily and hung the towel where it belonged. "Whatever you need, Princess, I'm there for you."

"Hmmm," the doctor considered her friend for a moment, eyes slowly taking in all the minute facial movements as her mind processed the dark haired brunette's nonverbal communication.

"Hey! Stop doing that." Jane's barking command threw Maura out of her thoughts.

"Doing what?" Maura blinked rapidly, trying to catch up.

"That thing you do where you try to figure out what I'm thinking by staring at me. It creeps me out. You want to know something, you just ask me. Got it?"

"Okay, Jane. I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was doing that." The blush creeping across Maura's features was testament to her embarrassment at being caught, however.

"It's fine. So, _do_ you have something to ask me or what?" Jane crossed her arms, her own eyes narrowing.

"No, not at this time. Perhaps later? Are you ready to go to bed?" Maura turned to head to the master bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Jane huffed as she followed behind.

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><p><strong>In the show, Jane and Maura are around 30, which means (in theory) they grew up during the time of the Nintendo systems when Super Mario Brothers was part of the culture of children. I'm in that age group - MTV, Super Mario Brothers, and such. Point being, you'll see me have Jane make these kinds of references all the time in my various fics because Jane and I are around the same age, so I assume she would have the same base pop culture knowledge. This all means that, for those who have been asking, in my head Jane played video games as a kid. ;-) All of that to say I would imagine that Maura has heard Jane say, "I'm sorry your princess is another castle" before and just tucked it away to ask about later and never got to it. Thus, Maura said it in her sleep but doesn't actually know what it means.<br>**

**I hope that answers your questions on that. :-D**

**As always, your reviews are much loved and appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Jane, wake up. It's time to get ready for work." Maura poked Jane in the side.

"No," came the groggy response as strong, lanky arms wrapped tighter around the other woman. "Don't wanna."

"Jane, we have to go back to work, and you must let go of me so we both can get ready. We've gone long enough that there'll be a great deal to catch up on. Come on, if you get up now, I'll buy you a maple frosted."

"Rather stay here," the pout in the detective's voice made Maura smile.

"Mario, your princess is about to _leave_ the castle, with or without out." The doctor began to wiggle out of Jane's hold.

"_Maura_," Jane whined, refusing to open her eyes, "Come on! Just a few more minutes."

"You've had _days_. It's time to go back." With a sigh, the honey brunette finally pulled free.

"I don't want to go back." Jane pounded the bed on either side of her as she opened her eyes. "Can't we just call in and start back on Monday?"

"I suppose we could," Maura stopped moving toward her closet. "It would not be dishonest to say that I would be much better suited for work on Monday than I am now. However, I really don't need you to take care of me now. I'm perfectly fine on my own."

"Sure you need me here," Jane's face filled with hope. "Who else are you going to get to be your furnace?"

Maura smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Valid point." She took a moment to give mock consideration before picking up her cell and handing Jane hers. "The week _is_ almost over. Starting fresh at the beginning of the week _would_ make more sense than trying to pick up in the middle."

"Exactly," Jane was smiling brightly as she called in for the rest of the week off.

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><p>Breakfasted, showered, and redressed for lounging, Jane and Maura took the morning to read the paper and enjoy the quiet. By midmorning, Jane was yawning.<p>

"Let's go back to bed, Princess." She stood, offering a hand to the doctor, who was curled up on the other end of the sofa reading a medical journal.

Without a word, Maura placed the journal on the coffee table and took Jane's hand, smiling gently as she allowed herself to be led through her home and to her bedroom. After climbing into bed and settling against Jane in what had become their usual sleeping arrangement, she let out a contented hum.

They lay in a peaceful silence for a long while before Maura finally broke it with an uncertain voice, "Jane?"

"Hmmm?"

"Remember when you said I should ask you if I had a question about what you were thinking?" Maura shifted against the other woman, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I have a question now," Maura winced, though it went unseen by Jane whose eyes were closed.

"Shoot."

"Do you think how we've behaved over the past week has been unusual?"

It was Jane's turn to shift uncomfortably. "What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about our interactions, and… you know, perhaps I don't have a question. Never mind. Let's try to get some rest. We stayed up late last night." The feel of the room was suddenly far less peaceful despite the very little change in their positions in the bed.

"No," Jane opened her eyes and looked down at the smaller woman wrapped around her. "You can't just start to ask me something and then stop. You know how much I hate that. What's on your mind, Princess?"

"Relationships," came the response.

"What about them?" Jane pulled back, sitting up a bit but allowing Maura to remain wrapped around her.

"What, exactly, is ours?" Maura sat up, mirroring Jane's position.

"I… well, we're best friends, right?"

"Yes, but… Jane, I'm not certain how to ask this, and I realize that there will never be a good time, and, perhaps asking you while we're in our night clothes and in my bed isn't the best idea I've had in recent memory, but," the doctor winced at her rambling, "do you think we may actually behave as more than just friends? More than best friends?"

"Maybe," Jane answered with an honesty that surprised her friend. "You wouldn't be the first person to say that. Ma's been asking me if I was dating you ever since she moved into your guest house and can keep track of how often I'm here."

"Is that why you park down the street now?"

"Yeah. I'm not a fan of Ma knowing my every move, you know?" Jane gave a little chuckle. "I think, if she could, she'd put a tracker on me or something. The woman is nosier than Korsak." She glanced over to Maura, who was watching her intently. "Are you asking me if … I don't know. I don't know what you're asking. What _are_ you asking me, Maura?"

For a moment, Maura looked down at her hands, a gesture she realized she'd picked up from Jane. "I've really valued our time together these past few days despite my infirmary. Having you here has been more comforting than I would have predicted, and having you with me has been soothing. In fact, this is the longest amount of time since I was a child that I've spent almost every waking hour with an individual and not become tired or irritated with them. You know how poorly I deal with people. Well, _living_ people." She gave Jane an apologetic look.

"You do just fine with me," Jane offered as she took Maura's hand.

"You seem to be the exception to the rule. In fact, you seem to be the exception to many of my rules. Am I an exception to many of yours?" The doctor tilted her head in consideration.

"You're touching my hands, aren't you?" To emphasize the point, Jane gave Maura's hand a squeeze.

"I see your point." Maura returned the squeeze. "I believe we are 'talking around the bush'?"

"Beating around the bush. It's _beating_ around the bush, and you're probably right. But, if we just come out with it, what next?" Jane's face held uncertainty and fear as she looked into her friend's eyes to ask with her eyes what she didn't, or couldn't, ask aloud.

"We pick a direction and follow through. I have an idea of what direction I would prefer to go, but I'd rather not venture to guess where you would prefer to go."

"I thought you didn't guess," Jane shot back, giving a small smirk.

"I don't. Jane," Maura pulled her hand away to turn completely toward her friend, "what direction would you like to go?"

"Down and a little to the left," the detective deadpanned.

"Jane! Please, I'm being serious. I just… I can't…"

"Hey… hey, hey, hey, easy, Princess," Jane reached out, pulling Maura to her to quite her sudden distress, "It's okay," she whispered into honey brunette hair.

"No, no it's not. Why can't I ask this question?" Maura moaned, clinging to Jane's shirt.

"Just a guess, but I'd say you're afraid. It's okay, I'm afraid, too." Jane released her hold so the smaller woman could pull back to look at her. In answer to the disbelief on the other woman's face, she continued, "I'm afraid that, if we say what we're thinking, we'll break what we have. I'm happy to just keep going how we are because I like being around you, but… Maura… whatever you need, you know I'm here for you."

"What _I_ need is for _you_ to… to… I don't know. God, Jane, you're always the brave one. I'm not sure it's fair to expect you to _always_ be the brave one… especially regarding this." Maura pulled completely back to rest against her headboard.

"I'm not brave. I simply get tired of being afraid. Don't you?" Frowning, Jane tilted her head to the side, an expectant look on her face.

"Yes," Maura nodded slowly, "Yes, I do." Squaring her shoulders and taking in a calming breath, she turned again to face the detective. "Jane," her voice was quiet but steady as she slowly began again, "I think… no, I _want_ to pursue a deeper relationship with you. I want to be more than just your best friend." She swallowed, waiting with baited breath to see what her friend had to say to her sudden confession.

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><p><strong>I'm really curious to see what Jane says, aren't you? ...Love your reviews!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

The silence stretched as Jane simply stared at the woman sitting across from her in the large, king sized bed. In the agonizing stillness, Maura averted her gaze, looking down at her hands where they rested in her lap.

Finally, Jane cleared her throat. "I've thought about what I would say if we ever got this far." It was not the response Maura was expecting and her surprised look as she locked eyes with the detective gave Jane a brief second of pause. "I… I mean I guess I never thought we'd actually get here, to this moment I mean. Sometimes, I think I'd probably tease you and say something about not being your type. Sometimes," she shrugged, frowning slightly, "I think I'd just attack you and pull you into some crazy mad kiss. But, most of the time, I just figured we wouldn't actually make it here, so I wouldn't have to worry about what I'd say or do when it happened because it was _never_ going to happen. Now, it's happened, and I don't know what the hell to do."

"You could start by telling me if you're agreeable to the idea," Maura offered, voice quiet.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm _definitely_ agreeable to the idea. I just… I don't know where to start." Jane ran her hands over each other as she looked away from Maura, a blush crawling across her features.

"A kiss is generally a good starting place to initiate a romantic relationship," Maura stated by way of fact as she moved closer to the dark haired brunette. "Would you be agreeable to that?"

"Now you're just messing with me," Jane shot back as a smile slowly replaced the grimace building on her face.

"Maybe," with a slight shrug, Maura leaned closer to Jane. "But, you didn't answer my question, Jane."

"I'm not going to," Jane replied as she leaned toward the doctor, following Maura's lead.

"No? You're just going to 'leave me hanging', as you say?" Maura's hazel eyes sparkled in the low light of her bedroom as she glanced quickly down at Jane's lips.

"When have I _ever_ left you hanging?" Jane husked as she did the same.

"Never."

"Exactly."

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><p>Their first kiss was soft and gentle, an exploration. Their next was much more forceful, more passionate. With each kiss, there was a new taste, a new sensation, and, with each new experience, a reassurance that both women wanted to move in this direction.<p>

Time passed away without notice, and the sound of Jo whining at Maura's door was the only thing that broke them from their new activity.

"Jo needs to be walked, Jane," Maura stated as she ran a hand down the angular features before her.

"I guess, it's about that time, isn't it?" The detective stopped her attack reluctantly. "Are you up for coming with us? I … I don't really want to _not_ be around you right now." She leaned down to nuzzle against Maura's throat, placing a kiss on her pulse point.

A moan issued from the smaller woman, her hands flexing against warmed skin where they rested under the bottom of Jane's shirt. "Why don't we get dressed and walk down to the corner café? We can sit outside with Jo and have a cup of coffee?" She swallowed hard, trying to not become distracted again by the inviting lips from which she could not remove her eyes.

"You want me to order a piece of cheesecake so you can eat off of it, don't you?" Jane chuckled as she sat up.

"Yes." Maura followed, slowly slipping down the side of the bed to stand.

"You _always_ do that." Jane began gathering her day clothes.

"I don't _always_. Sometimes, I order my own slice of cheesecake." Maura stuck her tongue out at Jane as she walked to the closet.

"Yeah, that's when I know you're about to start." Jane stated flatly.

"Jane!"

"What? It's true, isn't it?" With a chuckle, Jane opened the bedroom door. "Okay, buddy, we know. Maura and I are going to change, and then we'll go walking, okay?"

"I'm a little disturbed you know my physical cycle that well." Maura pulled out a pair of jeans and a light shirt.

"Hey, we're together a lot. It's hard not to notice that kind of thing," Jane shrugged. "I'm going to hit the other bathroom, okay?"

"Okay, Jane… Oh, and Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm _not_ ordering a slice of my own today." Maura smiled mischievously.

"Good to know," Jane's blush indicated she understood Maura's unstated meaning. "I'm just… I'm just going to," she pointed awkwardly in the direction of the guest bath, "go… do that changing thing now."

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading. Reviews please...<br>**


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